Live From QM2 - April 15 and April 23 Transatlantic

[Paul NH]

We will be just 17 miles north of the Titanic's wreck site tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. As I sit at the library window and look out at the April sun getting low in the sky in front of the bow, I am reminded of Lawrence Beeley's Titanic account of the sunsets on his April 1912 trip:

Lawrence Beesley, 2nd Class Passenger:

[I]"Each night the sun sank right in our eyes along the sea, making an undulating glittering pathway, a golden track charted on the surface of the ocean which our ship followed unswervingly until the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon, and the pathway ran ahead of us faster than we could steam and slipped over the edge of the skyline - as if the sun had been a golden ball and had wound up its thread of gold too quickly for us to follow."[/I]

I had a fantastic day today and will post more later. The link is very slow and the time is very expensive.

Regards,
Paul

[Pincus]

[quote name='Paul NH']We will be just 17 miles north of the Titanic's wreck site tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. As I sit at the library window and look out at the April sun getting low in the sky in front of the bow, I am reminded of Lawrence Beeley's Titanic account of the sunsets on his April 1912 trip:

Lawrence Beesley, 2nd Class Passenger:

[I]"Each night the sun sank right in our eyes along the sea, making an undulating glittering pathway, a golden track charted on the surface of the ocean which our ship followed unswervingly until the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon, and the pathway ran ahead of us faster than we could steam and slipped over the edge of the skyline - as if the sun had been a golden ball and had wound up its thread of gold too quickly for us to follow."[/I]

I had a fantastic day today and will post more later. The link is very slow and the time is very expensive.

Regards,
Paul[/QUOTE]


Thanks, Paul, for taking us with you on this crossing.

How appropriate of you to observe the moment tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.

Pincus

[jakvek]

Greetings Paul -

Wish we could have done the return as well. Am enjoying reading your updates! Sounds like we would have enjoyed the motion this time around as our crossing was calmer than I had expected.

John and I so enjoyed meeting with you, your son, Laura, her Mom, and her son. Please say hello to them for us!

Our stay at Chewton Glen in New Milton was fabulous - would stay there again in a heartbeat! Also had a very lovely visit with John's family and some friends. Sadly our 4 days went by so quickly. But we will be back again next May - perhaps we'll take the Southampton to NY leg this time around.

Hope our paths will cross again one day!

Vickie

[Paul NH]

Hello all,

It is 8:40 a.m. Thursday. We passed just north of the Titanic's final resting place at approximately 7:30 this morning. Since Ballard deduced that there was a southerly drift the night of the disaster (the lifeboats were picked up Monday morning south of the wreck), I figure the Titanic must also have drifted south some between when she stopped, and when she went down. As a result, we were probably quite close to the actual path she steamed in her final westbound hours. It was very interesting to know that where we were was both close to where she sank, and closer still to where the Californian watched the Titanic sink. It was also interesting to know that the exact spot in 1912 was littered with icebergs in every direction, as well as field ice stretching for as far as the eye could see north to south at the 50 degree longitude. There were about a dozen people scattered on Deck 7 looking out to the horizon on the port side this morning, some taking pictures.

Yesterday was a spectacular day with respect to the weather. My wife and I had breakfast in Britannia at a large table with other passengers. We had left our two boys sleeping in the cabin. Our seats were close to, and faced the mural and the entranceway to the dining room. Some time after we were seated, we saw our son come in alone, dressed in a blue oxford shirt, and florescent red reflective gym shorts. Yikes! We watched him escorted off to the other side of the dining room. He told us later that he "had a nice conversation with a Scottish lady" at his table.

After breakfast, my wife and I parted ways because she wanted to go to an Oxford lecture and I was heading up to Deck 7 for a walk. When I got up there, the weather was in the 60's F, with virtually no wind at all on deck. All of the steamer chairs were out, and most on the sunny port side were occupied. I walked around the deck once, and feeling a bit hungover from the prior night, I decided to rest on one of the chairs. I sat there with the hundreds of others looking out at the blue ocean and horizon, and fell asleep. For the next hour I went back and forth between cat napping to the sound of the surf at the base of the ship, and waking up to look at the blue Atlantic. It was one of my best experiences yet at sea, just going back and forth in a dream state between sleep and watching the ocean go by. Worth a million bucks.

After that I pushed myself to walking some more and took some photographs around the ship. Then had coffee at Sir Samuels, listened to the Captain's announcement, and then went to lunch at Britannia. I could not find any of my "tribe" and ended up going into the dining room on my own. I was seated by myself (at request) adjoining another table that had a couple from Texas that I had bumped into twice before. Had a great conversation with them, while I ate a delicious lasagna meal.

Had another coffee with my wife and son in Sir Samuels and then headed up to the Martini Mixology class at the Commodore Club. The setup for this class could have been better and the "instructor" was a bartender who seemed a bit nervous, and his microphone would cut out for a split second every once and a while. I was fairly close, but the people further back were near the bar where there was a sizeable number of people talking. All of us seemed a bit annoyed and tense when the class began. However, by the end of the class, after four (yes 4!) martinis, we were all laughing and talking to people next to ourselves. Very funny. There is nothing like a martini or two (or three or four) to loosen people up. The biggest message from the class was "STIRRED, not shaken." I did learn a lot of neat things about making martinis, particularly the method of pouring the dry vermouth over the ice ahead of time, and then draining it out of the glass prior to pouring the gin. I went easy on the Apple martini so ended up walking out of there with a little over three martinis in me. It seemed about 70 degrees F out on deck, it was sunny, and the ocean a deep blue, with only a very mild breeze on deck. Well, at this point, with three plus martinis in me, everything about the ship was just beautiful. I grabbed my camera and wandered about the decks finding even the smallest deck fixtures to be fascinating, and must have photographed the funnel from every possible angle.

While I was walking on Deck 7, I could hear a dog barking up in the kennel and went up. People were gathered around, talking to this dog who had just been visited by its owner, and was now barking for her to come back. Because of the nice weather, the Boardwalk Cafe was actually open (this is a special occasion when this cafe is open on a transatlantic) and I stopped for quick, and delicious hot dog.

Dinner was informal last night and we had a good time in Britannia again. Our table is right by a window on the lower level. Shortly after we were seated, it seemed like the ship began to vibrate more. The waiter eventually told us, without us even asking, that the vibration was due to the stabilizers. I never considered that before; always thought it was due to the engines. I am not completely convinced however, since I think the stabilizers are out most of the time, and we do not always feel that vibration. Who knows at this point.

I finally got us a seat at the Chart Room for pre-dinner cocktails. This is the first time in three voyages that I managed this. After sampling all of the bars/lounges by now, I have decided that the Chart Room and the Commodore Club are *the* lounges to hang out in for cocktails. Both are very classy and have a lot of character, unique from each other. The Chart Room has these homey couches that you can sit in, with great jazz musicians playing all the while. Later at night, the extremely subtle charts lit with off-white tones, combined with the blue stripes circling the oval bar, creates a very cool, hip, and classy feel. Bar service from the waiter was very prompt and they were always nearby if you needed follow-up service.

Yesterday on deck, I asked one of the deck crew on Deck 7 about his job responsibilities. He said he was on deck watch, for any accidents. I said, "Like a man overboard or something like that?" He said, "Sir, I assure you no one will be jumping off the QM2." This was during my post-martini class phase and I found that to be very funny. He said he keeps a watch out for any accidents such as fire or anything breaking, or someone falling down. They seem to be always very alert, even though they keep watch for hours.

We won Bingo two days in a row. By "we" I mean my wife and I, who were unoffically sponsoring our 14 year old son. He is very lucky! Of course, the ship does not allow minors to play Bingo, but if parents sit with them, and if the parents actually yell out Bingo, then it is not an issue.

The weather is gray again today - back to what seems to be the more traditional transtatlantic weather. I am down at Connexions and can hear the surf pounding against the hull outside. I think the weather is supposed to get a little rough, but the captain said yesterday he did not think it would result is the movement of the ship like on Tuesday. I did not mark the temperature, but it felt like somewhere in the 50's. It is very windy on deck and the starboard side is drenched with the surf coming up off the bow. With the wind, some of the drops whip onto the face with a slight sting. When I lick my lips, it tastes of salt. The port side is just as windy, but not so drenched.

The ship seems to have abosorbed the full capacity fairly well, but once in a while I see some strain. Last night, my wife and I went to the Queens Room at about 11 p.m. and the place was packed. Every seat was taken and there were people standing about everywhere. From what I have seen over the three voyages, this room is hugely successful, and is always a poplular spot after dinner. We only walk through G32 and in the last several nights the room has been well populated. Seems like G32 does better on westbounds than eastbounds because of the hour adjustment. I have been through that room on eastbounds and it has been deserted.

Well, that is all for now. We are all enjoying the second leg of the journey very much, but I think all 6 of us are starting to be thankful that it is coming to an end because of all the food. A person never goes hungry on this ship, that is for sure. I am going to try and walk a mile (approximately three laps) up on Deck in the high winds. They tied up all the steamer chairs to the rail again, which makes my happy becuase of the open walking area.

Cheers,
Paul

[transatlantic fan]

[FONT=Arial]Thank you so much for all the updates.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Very much appreciated.[/FONT]

[flandre58]

Hello Paul, and thank you for letting us share your transatlantic crossings. The latest installment perfectly illustrates the appeal of a true liner voyage, from shipboard activities to the salt spray out on deck. I'm sure you'll make a few converts who heretofore can dream only of a warm weather cruise.

I have made many a transatlantic crossing starting at the age of seven (dating back even before the Flandre of my user name) and can think of no greater pleasure. Despite all the criticisms made about QM2, I count us lucky indeed to have here around in the 21st century. Happy landings, and safe trip back to New Hampshire where, you'll be pleased to know, Spring has finally made its presence felt.

Paul (the other NH poster)

[LunchCompanion]

There are all kinds of vibrations on ships. Diesel engine mounts seem to cause the most vibrations. Worn bearings cause vibration and may be the reason the dog was barking. Worn bearings cause a high pitched whine that is especially annoying to dogs. Propellers get off of true after a while and cause a vibration. But the most noticeable vibration is caused by quick movement of the stabilizers caused by quick reactions of the stabilization control systems to medium sized waves sort of hitting the ship sideways. There is also a vibration, noticeable in large swells, caused by the movement of the expansion joints. The movement of the expansion joints is particularly noticeable on the upper decks midship.
There are also mechanical resonances that take place in any large structure and are particularly noticeable when the plumbing bangs.
Also a loud bang and a slowly reducing vibration is caused by diesel backfires.
I have spent many, too many, days at sea on ships and have had a lot of time to think about vibrations. The most annoying was while they were cleaning the diesel exhausts on the Regal Princess for three days while at sea.

[travel-to-go]

Paul,
If I didn't know better, I would say those Martinis were still doing the talking when you wrote that! It is much too much like poetry to be coming from a sober, straight man! <G>

Thank you.
I need a smile tonight, and to be there with you, in spirit, if not in reality (I especially like the salt on your lips, and the spray in your face) It's been a killer crushing week at work, lousy Doctor's appt this morning (kept me waiting, more drugs that are likely to cause more side-effects, including new drugs to counter act the side effects from the ones they gave me last week! etc) making me later for work than I expected, which is a good thing, because I was supposed to be in meeting they forgot to tell ME about! To surplus me! I got a call from the union steward just as I was gettingout of my car! (Lay me off- you know, don't have enough work for me? Then why in hell can I not take a day off without getting called at home, Why did I have to be on the phone on the ferry in St Thomas and at the Panama Canal on the January Panama cruise, and why do I have to work in 1 hour, at midnight, after leaving the office at 8:00 PM. The irony escapes me!) My Dad is in the hospital (looks like he is going to be okay) and Marc called me and said let's meet somewhere for dinner. At dinner he tells me what's going on in HIS work, (not happy!) and that it may end up in him parting ways with his "partners" Suddenly all of the stress tumbled down at once, and as we are leaving the restaurant I just started crying (I've been holding it in all week) On the way home, All I can think of is, "How can I manage to find a way to just take off and cruise 8 or 10 times a year?" I thought of this post (which I read this morning, actually) I had to come home and read it again.
Thanks, Paul. You're good for my soul!

Karie,
Who had a voice mail message when she was one her cruise from a union officer "Yeah, there's something going on with your job, We're holding them off til we can talk. Don't worry . Have a GREAT TIME!!!" <G>

P.S. Did I mention, Thank you Paul!
And to the other NH Paul, Keep that weather. I'm going to Maine this weekend! A BBQ 50th birthday party for a friend at Yarmouth! Right on the water!

[tartegnin]

Karie - poor you. For a small pick me up - try the children's section of the library and read "Alexander's Horrible Terrible No Good Very Bad Day", which always helps put a smile on my face (I read it to our daughter when she's had a tough day at school). And have a GREAT weekend in Maine.

[patwell]

Hang in there Karie!! There is always light at the end of any tunnel. And when you're in Maine go find a private rock on the shore and sit....when I lived on the Maine coast that's what I always did when I needed a "soul fix". There's something about it that puts life in perspective. Cheers, Penny

[tandemtourer]

Paul NH, let me join those who have already thanked you for your daily posts from your time on board. It is very generous of you to take any time away from those sublime experiences to share them with us in such vivid detail.

This paragraph of yours is one of my favorites because it so accurately describes one of those unique experiences of a transatlantic crossing. It is so evocative that it makes the time until our next crossing seem entirely too far away.

[quote]When I got up there, the weather was in the 60's F, with virtually no wind at all on deck. All of the steamer chairs were out, and most on the sunny port side were occupied. I walked around the deck once, and feeling a bit hungover from the prior night, I decided to rest on one of the chairs. I sat there with the hundreds of others looking out at the blue ocean and horizon, and fell asleep. For the next hour I went back and forth between cat napping to the sound of the surf at the base of the ship, and waking up to look at the blue Atlantic. It was one of my best experiences yet at sea, just going back and forth in a dream state between sleep and watching the ocean go by. Worth a million bucks.[/quote]

Captaintandem and I watched the sailaway in New York, then Southampton, and I expect we will be watching your arrival in Brooklyn tomorrow morning on the webcams. The time seems to have flown by for us but nothing like it must have for you and your family.

Welcome back, when you reach New England you will find that the Fiddleheads are ready for picking.

[cruiser don]

[quote name='transatlantic fan'][FONT=Arial]Thank you so much for all the updates.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Very much appreciated.[/FONT][/quote] [B][COLOR=blue]I [/COLOR][COLOR=blue]also say Welcome to N.Y.to you Paul and all aboard the QM2.. We will try to wake up for the 5AM arrival near the V.N. Bridge... We also did that at the first entry into NY by the QM2... Thanks for a great report. All reports re: the Red Hook arrival site are much more favorable than most passengers feared...[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=#0000ff] the best, from a Brooklyn duo, h/d[/COLOR][/B]

[Paul NH]

Well, I knew a transatlantic crossing goes by fast, but for those who are curious, a round trip seems to go by fast as well. I think a round trip is just right because a person can only handle so much food and after two weeks, I am seriously satiated! I am *not* ready to give up the walks on deck, however. I wish I could transport myself every day for just the walks.

Today was much colder. The temperature in the morning was listed as 8.5 degrees C. Not sure what that tranlsates into F, but it was noticeably colder on deck compared to all prior days at sea. Still, a sweater and windbreaker were enough extra coverings (... along with pants of course!). It is 6 p.m. ship's time (5 p.m. NY time) and I just came off the deck and I noticed a faint hint of my breath when I was circling around on the aft part of the deck.

No one from my family showed up at tea today, so I sat with Laura's mother (LM1) during the latter half. A chamber quartet was playing on the floor. I think everyone else was showing symptoms of food overdose, although the room in general was still fairly occupied.

Last night was the first time I actually sat at the bar in the Commodore Club, while I waited for my wife to get dressed in the stateroom. It was nice because I finally got to sit and admire that huge model of the QM2 behind the bar. I have given up asking for the straight stemmed martini glass everytime and have learned to deal with the curvy stem ones (see what us pampered, spoiled passengers must perservere with?). When my family arrived and we were seated at the chairs in front of the windows, my son spotted a shark and many of the passengers in the lounge got up and looked out. I thought it was a dolphin myself, but others said they saw the second fin following the first. Although I always hear about marine life spottings, this is the first time I saw something (other than birds) myself. A passenger told me up on deck yesterday that she had seen a whale off the starboard side, and said it was actually swimming faster than the ship (any marine experts out there? Is that actually possible? ... 25 knots seems awfully fast for a whale).

The ship has been solid as a rock today. You would hardly know you are at sea even. Frankly, I always like a slight roll while I am on board. We seem to be going very slow this evening. No doubt we are just biding our time before our expected very early morning arrival tomorrow. This ship has absolutely no speed issues in terms of maintaining schedule, as far as I can tell.

Even though I have my large Beken of Cowes framed photograph of the Normandie, along with all our luggage for two weeks, we are opting to self disembark tomorrow so that we can get an early start on our drive north. This also allows us to procrastinate packing to the last minute since we do not have to have our bags out in the hall tonight. They are already starting to appear outside people's cabins.

In summary, I highly recommend a round trip crossing. The only downer was the loss of the Manhattan sailaway down the Hudson, and I will keep the faith that Cunard intends to return the QM2 to her rightful departure dock when the time is right (although no one has told me that is the official intent). With a round trip, you have time to truly unwind and to do the things you did not get around to on the first leg. And on top of it, you get to do the things you did get to do the first leg, that you enjoyed, and do them again and again.

The QM2 is an excellent liner and the transatlantic is a great experience if you can arrange it.

Bye for now,

Paul

[Paul NH]

[quote name='jakvek']Greetings Paul -

Wish we could have done the return as well. Am enjoying reading your updates! Sounds like we would have enjoyed the motion this time around as our crossing was calmer than I had expected.

John and I so enjoyed meeting with you, your son, Laura, her Mom, and her son. Please say hello to them for us!

Our stay at Chewton Glen in New Milton was fabulous - would stay there again in a heartbeat! Also had a very lovely visit with John's family and some friends. Sadly our 4 days went by so quickly. But we will be back again next May - perhaps we'll take the Southampton to NY leg this time around.

Hope our paths will cross again one day!

Vickie[/quote]Vickie,

It was great meeting you and John. Glad to hear you are returning next May. Because of school, our only real chance of a Spring sailing is in April, or we have to wait until summer break. Enjoyed having a few brewskies with you two and the next round is on me if we ever meet up again!

Paul

[mariaemp675@hotmail.com]

Dear Paul,

I am really going to miss your posts.:(

When you get back to NH please write and tell us about your disembarkation experience.

Glad you remembered your pants for your walks!:D

Now that you are arriving back in New York, you will find the weather sunny but will still need a jacket or sweater .

Welcome Home!
Maria

[patwell]

Paul...it has been a pleasure "traveling" with you. You have painted such delightful word pictures of so many aspect of a crossing that I remember from growing up...I almost felt like I was there to taste the salt spray on my lips too! What a wonderful memory to share with your loved ones. I have vivid memories of my childhood crossings and I'm sure when your children get to be my age they will look back on this voyage with great nostalgia. A safe journey back to NH...I used to live in No Conway. I'm sorry to tell you but come Saturday night there will be no turn down service at bedtime. Travel safe...look forward to hearing more hopefully. Thank you for all your precious time spent taking the rest of us with you. Cheers, Penny

[JWB.ESQ]

Paul, I'd like to add my thanks for your posts. Between your descriptions, the bridgecam and wave and ship location reports from several websites, I feel like I've been aboard for the last two crossings (without gaining any weight).

We'll watch your arrival on several webcams tomorrow AM (remember to wave, please) before taking the train down from New London and boarding QM2. Our last two crossings were glassy smooth, but it looks like we may be in for a bit of weather mid-week this time. I may do some posting while on board, especially if the weather is noteworthy. Have a safe trip home to New Hampshire.

Thanks again.

[ladymacwilly]

Paul,

It was a pleasure meeting you and it's been a joy to read your in-depth commentary! We arrived back to Santa Fe late last night and I spent most of the morning reading, with pleasure, your accounting of both the crossing we shared and your return. A wee bit jealous of that lovely, sunny day at sea with azure skies and the sea a deep blue on the way back. :rolleyes: (Not like fog kept me out of the jacuzzi for a second!)

We arrived in London for the Queen's eightieth birthday and then went on to Dublin where the rugby match of the year was being played out by the Irish about 3 doors down from our B&B. Imagine, a stadium with 50,000 fans exiting one way while my husband and I are rolling along our luggage the opposite. Felt just like a salmon swimming upstream. I thought about you staying the few days on the Isle of Wight and your return and was beginning to really appreciate your planning. BTW, would love to know where you stayed there.

Thanks again!

[NorthernNeighbour]

Well, I read through all these posts and found them most interesting. Looking forward to my upcoming westbound voyage on the QM2.

The only thing missing -- can anyone report on their Red Hook dis-embarkation experience? Is it as bad as some are reporting?

What about getting transportation from Red Hook into Manhattan?

Any news would be most welcome and appreciated.

[smeyer418]

What I have heard is that the Cunard transfers were a problem. If you took a waiting cab or limo it wasn't bad. The waiting limos charge about $40.00 to take you into manhattan. The cabs will be about 25% less.

[LM1]

Paul and family, Vickie and John, and Franz and wife,
It was a pleasure to meet you all on our back to back crossings 4/15-4/29. Oh, could write so much myself, but in a nutshell it was the best trip ever for us. My 8 year old had so much fun and looked great dressed up every night. Paul, Scott had so much fun in the Zone and seeing your boys every day. Bingo was so much fun. Never play it at home, but it has a different feel on the QM2.
The only negative was the transfer yesterday from the ship to La Guardia. The bus driver was poorly trained. Got lost getting out of Brooklyn, never mind getting to LGA. It took over 3 hours to get to the airport and then he took us to the wrong terminal and almost refused to take us to the right one. Kept doing U turns in the middle of roads. We knew we were in trouble early on, but never knew what was to come. There are 2 Delta terminals at LGA. One for "regular" flights and one for the shuttles.......like to Boston, that go out of the Marine Terminal. Just so you all know. Make sure you let them know what Delta terminal you need to go to. This driver was beside himself. He kept wanting to let ALL of us off at any curb he could find, and us with 9 PIECES OF HEAVY LUGGAGE. The others were going to different terminals. Here my mother has a heart condition and I have an 8 year old in tow. This guy kept calling his supervisor to get "permission" to drop us off at the correct Delta terminal. What???????? Another passenger was trying to get to American and got on the drivers cell phone with the drivers supervisor, who in the end HUNG UP ON HIM, the passenger. What??????? The driver started to freak out, I started getting really nervous because this guy was losing it. He kept driving around the terminal not knowing where to go or HOW or WHERE to drop us off. For over an hour. My mother got on her cell, called a supervisor at Cunard who in turn also got emergency services on the line. Mom simply said we have a situation going on here thats getting out of control. My hands were shaking it got so bad, and here I just had the 2 most fabulous weeks aboard QM2. The driver was calling his supervisor, "SCREAMING" into the cell that he wasn't trained properly and was going to quit. We had Cunard on mom's cell at the same time so hope they heard all that. Then he kept stopping the bus and getting off it and we didn't know if he was coming back or not. It was unbelievable. Then he said he couldn't get to our terminals because his bus was 11 feet 6 inches and the over passes he needed to go under were 11 feet only. Well he finally gunned it............yes gunned it, as he was so mad and frustrated, and drove under the bridges, while we were all pretty much in the "crash" position as on a plane, hoping we would make it. Cunard stayed on the phone with my Mom who is now popping nitro tablets like crazy, never mind the other elderly passengers who I worried about. My 8 year old fell asleep through all this thankfully. Then, finally, after this driver realized after nearly killing us that he could get under the bridges, he started finding the terminals. We were the last ones on at that point. One of the passengers getting off at the American terminal actually came up to me, held my hands and said Good Luck. This driver got us to the correct terminal fianally and we literally ran off the bus. Through all this though this guy wanted to keep dropping all of us, ALL OF US, at curbs no where close to our airline terminals. So for all of you out there..........good luck. In reading these posts it seems the private transportation is not that much better. This bus transfer was through Cunard themselves. It was the Academy Bus Line. Bus number 8807. So if you get on it, GET OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND WALK. You'll get home quicker or bring tranquilizers. I guess in hind sight it would have been safer to just get off this guys bus, but with all the heavy luggage, and my mom not doing well, even a cab couldn't have helped. We would have literally needed 3 cabs......UGH, just a nightmare. It was a terrible situation and for what it is worth, Cunard will hear about it in letter form. As for that cell call mom made to Cunard. They did keep in touch with us later by calling us to be sure we got to our terminal.
Laura

[Paul NH]

[quote name='LM1']The only negative was the transfer yesterday from the ship to La Guardia.[/QUOTE]

Laura,

Your transfer story was incredible and left me with the following questions,

"Other than the iceberg, Mrs. Astor, how was your crossing?" or the famous line, "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

Although Cunard subcontracts those transfers out to transportation companies, the fact that they add their own fee/profit to the rate you get charged makes them responsible for that fiasco. That is a shameful experience for someone coming off such a classy ship. Where do they get these companies from???

I have some images of you and your family. If you would like me to email them to you, send your email address to me at [email]paul@gwi.net[/email].

I plan to post later today a few final observations about my last hours on board and the disembarking. It was great meeting you and your family.

Paul

[jakvek]

Hi Laura - So sorry about the problem you encountered - what a nightmare! Hope your Mom is doing better! Let us know what Cunard's response is.

Hope all is well - a big hug for your Mom!

Vickie

[Paul NH]

Host Doug or Others,

Does anyone know who these people are? They accompanied us for quite a ways after our departure from the Brooklyn Pier, and were waving enthusiastically to us. At one point, another fire boat, which was spraying its own hoses continuously, crossed paths with the one in this image, and absolutely drenched all of those seen on board. It made interesting viewing. We were watching all of this from our starboard in-hull balcony cabin on Deck 5.

[Paul NH]

I thought these displays by a couple of fire boats was a nice touch to the maiden Brooklyn departure. They changed colors during the display. Sometimes the white spray in the middle would be a bright color like red, or yellow. The cloud formation above the statue of liberty was breathtaking. There were rays of gold coming down from some clouds all around the statue. I would post the full image, but the size restrictions on this board causes it to shrink down to an image that loses the full effect. But the view in real life was inspirational.